Sorry, everyone. I know it's been a long time, but I've been so busy. I can't make any promises at to when the next chappie will come up, I mean, I'm just so busy. It's summer, hello. LOL. I mean, during school I just write in class. LOL. Anyway, I am sorry for the delay.

Chapter 29

"D-dead?" Hana repeated as Rin nodded slowly. She didn't know what else to say. "Y-you killed him?"

"He was so weak," Rin said in reply. The thought of her killing the head of the family terrified her. She had never actually considered killing him, though she had hated him and wouldn't have shed a tear at the news of his death. But this, this was different. She had killed him. Did this make her a murderer? She had no time to think on Akito's death, however, because currently Hatori was lying in a pained mass on the floor before her. "We need to get Hatori to a hospital."

"I know, but how?" Hana questioned. "I can't lift him or he'll transform and I don't know what that would do to him with that wood stuck in his stomach, but you surely can't lift him all by yourself."

"Hatsuharu," Rin breathed.

"What?" Hana asked, confused.

"Get Hatsuharu, he only lives three houses to the left," Rin instructed as Hana nodded, leaping up from the floor and rushing out the door.

"Hatsuharu! Hatsuharu!" she screamed, pounding on his front door ferociously. She couldn't hear any stirring inside the house. Oh, he couldn't be gone, not now, not now when she needed him. Tears filled her eyes and she collapsed on the steps. "Oh, Hatsuharu, Hatsuharu!"

"Hana, what is it?" asked an urgent and extremely concerned voice.

"Miss Hanajima?" came another. She lifted her face to see Haru and Yuki peering into her face worriedly.

"Hana?" came another soft voice. She watched as Kisa poked her head through the gap between the two boys.

"Hatsuharu!" Hana cried, reaching for him from her position on the ground. She was almost delirious with grief by this point.

"Hana," he whispered, grasping her hand firmly and kneeling down to her level. "What is it?" He cupped her unkempt hair behind her left ear tenderly.

"H-Hatori," she gasped. "In the main house. A-Akito. Come." This was all the three needed to know.

"Kisa, go get Hiro; he'll want to know about his brother. Meet us at the hospital," Haru announced. Kisa nodded and took off down the path to the main gate.

"Kisa!" Hana cried, turning from Haru to see Kisa stop in her tracks and turn around to face her. "M-Megumi." Kisa again nodded.

"We'll get him," she assured her.

"Hana, can you stand?" Haru asked her gently, her hands still in his. She nodded but halfway up lost her footing; she squeezed Haru's hand tightly but suddenly felt a strong hand grab her other arm and steady her. She looked up to see Yuki holding her up; she had nearly forgotten about him.

"Miss Hanajima," he said concernedly. "Do you want to sit down?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "Hatori."

"Hana, you can barely stand; how are you going to make it back to the main house?" Haru asked. "Why don't you say here with Yuki and meet us at the hospital when you're feeling better?"

"He's my brother, Hatsuharu; I can't just sit here," she said, now in complete control of her faculties. Yuki's eyes grew enormous but there wasn't time to question her, not now anyway. "Besides, it's not just Hatori, but there's no time to explain; come on."

"Rin!" Haru cried as he threw open the two huge doors to Akito's meeting room.

"Haru, oh, thank goodness you were home," Rin breathed as she lifted her head up. "Oh, and Yuki." He nodded.

"What the hell happened in here?" Haru questioned as the three walked into the room, his eyes roaming back and forth from Akito to Hatori.

"There's no time to explain, Haru; right now we need to get Hatori to the hospital," Rin said urgently. "I need you to help me lift him." He nodded, but his eyes were fixed on Akito's limp body. "H-he's dead."

"What?" Yuki breathed as both of the boys' heads turned to stare at her as both she and Hana nodded. "H-how?"

"There's no time to explain, Yuki; we need to get Hatori to the hospital," she repeated. "Haru and I will get him to the hospital while you and Hana inform the servants about Akito; join us at the hospital as soon as you can." Hana and Yuki nodded as Rin and Haru bent over Hatori's body and gently raised it, carrying him out of the room.

"I assume we should carry Akito's body to his bed before informing the servants," Yuki suggested as Hana nodded, but unsurely. She approached the body, bent over it, but lingered before touching it. "Don't worry; you can touch him; he won't transform; he didn't while he was alive, Miss Hanajima, or should I say Miss Sohma?"

"Hana, Yuki; Hana," she corrected. "After all, I am your cousin."

"Kisa?" Megumi questioned as he opened the front door to find the girl panting on his front step, cheeks flushed. She looked desperate. "Hiro?" He turned to look at the boy beside her, not half as breathless, his face expressionless.

"M-Megumi," she gulped. "H-Hatori." She gasped for breath; she had worn herself out.

"Hatori?" he repeated questioningly.

"Out brother is in the hospital," Hiro said firmly. Megumi stared at him for a moment. In that span of time they clicked. They were no longer unbearable classmates; they were brothers. They read each other's eyes and nodded. Hiro saw acceptance; Megumi saw acceptance. They grinned slightly but were suddenly jerked from their joy by a voice.

"Hatori?" it cried. Suddenly Satsuki appeared in the doorway but drew back at the sight of Hiro. "Hiro!"

"Mother," Hiro nodded respectfully.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded fearfully, keeping her distance.

"We've come to take my brother with us to the hospital to see his other brother," he replied defiantly, eyes staring into hers. All of a sudden his anger lifted and was replaced with utter sorrow and worry. "Mother, Hatori could be dying."

"Dying?" she whispered, hand moving to her heart, face growing white. Hiro nodded solemnly.

"Mother, do you not care that your own son could be dying?" Megumi asked, looking up at her forlornly. She looked down at him as if in a daze, eyes glistening with tears. She never thought she'd be crying for him, the dragon. No, he wasn't the dragon, not anymore.

He's my son.

"Megumi, I'm going to get your father; I'll meet you at the hospital; go with Hiro," she instructed rapidly, turning to go back into the house. She suddenly stopped and whipped back around, eyes fixed motionlessly on Hiro. "You brother. Hiro." The boy returned her gaze and watched in shock as she knelt down beside him. She bent over his small body and kissed his forehead gently. "My son." He flinched a bit and almost drew away, but stopped himself. Isn't this was he wanted? Isn't this what he had been waiting for practically all his life? Yes, it was. He couldn't believe it. At that very moment he felt complete.